The creation of Mario Kart World sparked a fundamental question about Mario’s relationship with mushrooms. Did he eat them or simply touch them to gain superpowers? Shintaro Jikumaru, a 20-year Nintendo veteran, and Kosuke Yabuki, producer of Mario Kart World, consulted Nintendo executive Takashi Tezuka to settle the matter.
The inquiry arose from adding food items to the game, such as hamburgers. This led to exploring the rules of the Super Mario universe regarding power-ups. Jikumaru and Yabuki discovered that some games, like Mario & Luigi series, show characters eating power-ups, while others imply consumption through animation or visual effects.
However, inconsistencies in the numerous power-ups across Mario games remain. The Mario Kart World developers aimed to be thorough, but some questions remain unanswered. For example:
– How does Mario consume a Mega Mushroom?
– Does he eat Golden Mushrooms and Drill Mushrooms made of metal?
– What happens if Mario licks a P-Block instead of eating it?
The developers’ quest for clarity highlights the complexity of the Super Mario universe’s power-ups. While some answers have been found, others remain up for debate, leaving fans to wonder about the intricacies of Mario’s relationship with mushrooms and other items.
Source: https://www.polygon.com/culture/600572/mario-eats-mushrooms-power-up